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Tattoo Revival

WARSAW, POLAND -- Marcin Domański is a tattoo artist working at Stara Baba Tattoo Studio. His works (as seen in photos 1 - 4) are bold and bright. They include contemporary design; elaborate blending and shading gradations with an extensive color palette – distinct from the old school tattoo style. thalo had a chance to sit down with Marcin (as seen in photo 5) and learn more about his artist tattoo style.

thalo: How long have you been working with tattoos?

Marcin Domański: Since the summer 2006. It always fascinated me but I defended myself from it for a very long time. Now I think that I was meant to do it.

th: What is a tattoo?

MD: “A tattoo is a form of body modification, made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment” (Wikipedia quote). Tattoos are my daily bread.

th: Where does it come from?

MD: In 1991 a frozen body that dates back to the 3000 BC was found. It was covered with over 50 tattoos. This proves that tattoos have been with people for thousands of years. I don’t think that there is one specific place of their birth though.

th: Can we talk about a tattoo revival today?

MD:  Tattoos are doing really well at the moment. Actually, I think it has never been better. First of all, we finally got accustomed to it – it is not associated with the dregs of society any more. The media did a great job to promote it by showing tattooed celebrities and artists. And by watching TV-shows like Miami Ink, people got rid of their fear of the unknown that a tattoo used to be.

Second of all, the skills of Polish tattoo artists are amazing. We are not culturally detached from the rest of the world anymore and we work with tools that the rest of the world uses.

th: Who is having tattoos done today?

MD: Everybody. Poland is said to be a conservative country but I tattooed all types of people. My clients are generally between 18 and 30 years old, many are woman.

th: Are tattoo artists a special type of people?

MD:  Maybe they are a bit louder and stand out more. But I see us as craftsmen, like watchmakers and jewelers.

th: What are the trends in tattooing now?

MD: I think that everything has already been done and now we only refer to these old conventions. Poland has a long tradition of shaded realistic black-and-white tattoos and I do not think that this will ever be gone. The tattoos I make are described as traditional or neo-traditional. I think we are the first generation in Poland that creates in this aesthetics – which I would like to add, is very popular.

th: Are there differences in tattoos made in Europe and in other parts of the world?

MD: No. They are all the same.

To learn more about Marcin Domański, you can visit his blog.

Photo Credits

Photos 1 - 4 – Courtesy of Marcin Domański

Photos 5 – courtesy of Robert Cyranowicz